Innovation in the medical device sector: an open business model approach for high-tech small firms

Abstract

Innovation in the medical device industry is progressing rapidly with many technologies heralded as major breakthroughs. The public are often well informed about these matters, which results in a patient pull for innovations that are years from market. HTSFs operating in this environment face huge challenges in terms of realising the latent economic potential from new innovations. Open innovation offers the prospect of lower costs for innovation, faster times to market, and the chance to share risks. By developing open business models medical device companies can capture the multifaceted ideas of scientists, engineers, clinicians and indeed patients; thus allowing beneficial technologies to reach the market more quickly in a way that is evidence focused. This study uses a qualitative approach to investigate the explicit and implicit business models within HTSFs in the health care sector and provides a useful contribution to understand the challenges and identify solutions in this multi-stakeholder environment.

Keywords:

• technology and innovation studies
• health-care
• hi-tech industries
• business model
• innovation strategy
• innovation studies

Acknowledgements

The authors should like to acknowledge support of this work through the UK MATCH programme (http://www.match.ac.uk) Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Grant EP/F063822/1, although the views expressed in this work are entirely their own.